Stunning Ingram wins BTCC Independent trophies

Incredible season of racing by Tom Ingram as he secures third place in the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and wins in both independent categories.

This year’s British Touring Car Championship drew to a close in style this weekend, with four drivers competing for the title as racing got under way. Eventual winner Ashely Sutton put in an experienced drive to walk away the champion.

However, it was 24 year old Tom Ingram who received the plaudits of racing fans. The Hansford Sensors-sponsored ace from Buckinghamshire secured third place in the overall Drivers’ Standings, finishing ahead of reigning champion Gordon Shedden by two points. He was also crowned champion of the Independent Standings and single-handedly earned Speedworks Motorsport 425 points to win the Independent Teams trophy – in only his fourth BTCC series.

The final race of the season at Brands Hatch will be remembered as one of the most entertaining of the season. Pre-race rain made for difficult conditions, but with so much at stake the drivers pushed hard regardless. After qualifying winner Jack Goff span off in race one, the BTCC’s youngest ever driver, Aiden Moffat, produced a defensive masterclass to win, with Ingram and Sutton finishing second and third respectively.

Race two will live long in the memory as double champion Colin Turkington delivered a sensational drive to claim victory, despite starting 15th on the grid. Meanwhile, Ingram put in a solid performance to take sixth place.

This set up a thrilling final race, with Turkington and Sutton going head to head for the title and Ingram and Sutton for third place. Turkington got off to an excellent start, but just as he began to break away disaster struck. As Mat Jackson’s car returned to the track following minor contact with Ingram there was unfortunate contact made with the oncoming 1-Series of Turkington – forcing him to retire due to a broken rear-right upright. His dreams of a third title were ended as Sutton nipped through to finish the race in third, one place ahead of Ingram.

“This is an incredible achievement by Tom and the Speedworks Motorsport team, and is no less than they deserve,” comments Hansford Sensors’ Managing Director, Chris Hansford. “We’ve said all along that Tom is a champion in the making and the progress he’s made over the last few years shows that it’s just a matter of time.

“Knowing Tom and the team as we do, they’ll celebrate this result and will soon be back in the garage working hard ahead of the new season. If this year is anything to go by we’re set for another fantastic year of racing. For now though, everyone at Hansford Sensors would like to congratulate Tom and his team on a stellar season. We couldn’t be more pleased for them.”